learn to think

Learn to Think
Basic exercises in the core thinking
skills for ages 6–11
John Langrehr


First published by Curriculum Corporation in Australia in 2003
Reprinted 2003
Published 2008
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa
business
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2008.
“To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s
collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.”

© 2008 John Langrehr
Each publisher will be responsible for the registration and any
necessary defence of copyright in its own territory.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Langrehr, John.
Learn to think : basic exercises in the core thinking skills for ages
6-11 / John Langrehr.
p. cm. – (Thinking lessons)
ISBN 978–0–415–46590–8
1. Thought and thinking – Study and teaching. 2. Elementary
school teaching. I. Title.
LB1590.3.L37 2008
370.15′2–dc22
2007048651
ISBN 0-203-92645-5 Master e-book ISBN

ISBN 10: 0-415-46590-7 (pbk)
ISBN 10: 0-203-92645-5 (ebk)
ISBN 13: 978-0-415-46590-8 (pbk)
ISBN 13: 978-0-203-92645-1 (ebk)


Contents
Introduction .............................................................................. 4

Organisational Thinking
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

7.
8.
9.

Observing Properties ........................................................ 5
Observing Similarities ........................................................ 8
Observing Differences .................................................... 11
Categorising .................................................................... 14
Comparing ....................................................................... 17
Ordering in Terms of Size and Time ................................ 20
Thinking about Concepts ................................................ 26
Generalising..................................................................... 29
Concept Maps ................................................................. 33

Analytical Thinking
10. Analysing Relationships ....................................................41
11. Analysing Patterns in Sequences ......................................44

Evaluative Thinking
12. Distinguishing Facts from Opinions...................................49
13. Distinguishing Definite from Indefinite Conclusions ..........52
14. Challenging the Reliability of a Claim ................................56
15. Distinguishing Relevant from Irrelevant Information..........60
16. Decision Making ................................................................64
17. Considering Other Points of View ................................... 70
18. Asking Better Questions ................................................. 73

Creative Thinking
19. Creative Consequences ....................................................78
20. Reverse Creative Thinking ................................................81

21. Analysing the Creativity of Designs...................................84
22. Creativity from Random Objects .......................................88
23. Visual Creativity ............................................................... 91
24. Creative Thinking about Uses ........................................ 93


Introduction
Pupils need to be taught content to think about. They also need to be taught
thinking processes which they can use to think about this content. In other
words, they need to learn some good questions to ask themselves when thinking
about content in different ways. ‘Metacognition’ (thinking about thinking)
empowers them, giving them a wide repertoire of useable cognitive tools. Curriculum planners assume that students learn these processes quite naturally,
but research shows that this is not so.
We regularly use about twenty basic or core thinking processes to connect
and make sense of information. These are listed on the contents page. The
exercises in this book allow pupils to practise these processes and to learn the
questions that are useful to ask themselves when they use them.
The thinking processes in the book are related to organisational, analytical,
critical or evaluative and creative thinking. The content covered involves
mathematics, language, social studies, and science.
Each lesson in the book starts with introductory notes (the first page of the
lesson) for teachers to discuss with pupils. This page also includes an
example for the teacher to work through as an explanation about what
is wanted in the exercise which will follow. When the thinking process is
understood, pupils can work through the items on their photocopied student
worksheets.
Some suggested answers are then provided. And finally, some useful
questions for pupils to ask themselves when thinking in the different ways is
provided at the end of most exercises. Teachers can share these with pupils to
note down at the end of their own worksheets. The lists of processing

questions can be thought of as mental thinking programs for comparing,
categorising, distinguishing facts from opinions, generalising, and so on.
This book provides enough exercises for it to be used as the basis of a thinking
skills programme for pupils in about the ages of 6–11.

Learn to Think

John Langrehr

4


Lesson One

Observing Properties
• Everything about us made by human beings or by nature has a design.
• The design or composition of any given thing is special and is that way for
a particular reason. Bottles don’t just happen to be made of glass rather
than other materials. Stop lights don’t just happen to be red rather than
other colours. And trees don’t just happen to have thousands of leaves rather
than 10 or 20.
• We say that the design of a given thing fits a particular purpose.
• We all see things but we usually don’t ask ourselves why something has
the design that it does, rather than some other design.
• Lesson 1 gets you looking at things more carefully or thoughtfully.
• If you look at, and think about, the world about you, life will become so
much more interesting. You will begin to understand why creators designed
things the way they did.
• To help you focus on the properties of
something you are observing

remember the acronym SCUMPS.
Each letter of this word helps you to
ask yourself why something has the Size,
Colour, Use, Material, Parts, and Shape that
it does, rather than other possibilities.

Example
Properties

Reasons for properties

brick

rough
heavy
geometric shape

cement sticks to its surface easily
wind won’t blow it away
easy to stack on each other in rows
Learn to Think

Object

Organisational Thinking

5


Lesson One

Student worksheet
Write in three properties that you have noticed for each of the following things.
After each property write in a reason why you think the thing has this property.
Object

Properties

Reasons for properties

coin

•
•
•

•
•
•

flag

•
•
•

•
•
•

tree

•
•
•

•
•
•

car tyre

•
•
•

•
•
•

a bottle

•
•
•

•
•
•

a football

•
•
•

•
•
•

Learn to Think

Useful questions to ask myself when OBSERVING
•
•

6

Organisational Thinking


Lesson One
Possible answers
Object

Properties

Reasons for properties

coin

round
metallic
thin
face

easy to handle/store
won’t bend easily
light
country’s history

flag

coloured
patterned
made of cloth
rectangular

easy to see
represents people
difficult to tear
easy to make

tree

leaves
roots
round trunk
upright

take in gases

keep tree stable
provide strength
to reach for sunlight

car tyre

round
rubber
hollow
grooved

smooth to roll
flexible
for flexing
grip on road

a bottle

made of glass
round sides
narrow neck
flat bottom

easy to clean/see through
for strength
easy to pour
easy to stand up

a football

made of leather
oval shape
hollow

easy to catch/kick
easy to catch/kick, random bounce
light, easy to kick

• What size, colour, use, material, parts, and shape (SCUMPS) does this thing
have?
• Why does this thing have this size, colour, use, material, parts, and shape
rather than other sizes, colours, uses, materials, parts, and shapes?

Organisational Thinking

7

Learn to Think

Useful questions to ask when OBSERVING


Lesson Two

Observing Similarities
•

I wonder if you have thought about how two or more things are similar?

•

For example, you have seen lemons and bananas but have you ever
asked yourself what is alike about these two fruits?

•

Can we come up with at least four ways in which these fruits are similar?

•

Remember the word SCUMPS from Lesson 1? Are the
Size,
Colour,
S
U
Use,
Material,
M C S
Parts, or
P
Shape of these fruits similar?

Example
Things
both:

• yellow
• food
• thick skins
• grow on trees

Learn to Think

banana
lemon

similar properties

8

Organisational Thinking


Lesson Two
Student worksheet
Things

3 similar properties

flowers
birds

•
•
•

road
river

•

•
•

chair
horse

•
•
•

door
book

•
•
•

the numbers
4 and 9

•
•
•

the words
fell, ran

•
•
•

a square
a circle

•
•
•

Learn to Think

Questions to ask myself when OBSERVING
SIMILARITIES
•
•

Organisational Thinking

9


Lesson Two
Possible answers
Things

3 similar properties

flowers
birds

living, need sun/air/water, different types/colours

road
river

have names, carry transport, have start and end

chair
horse

can sit on, four legs, different heights, different colours

door
book

made of wood/tree, rectangular, human made, can open

the numbers
4 and 9

both single digits, have exact square root, divide into 36

the words
fell, ran

both verbs, have one vowel, are past tense
have no capitals, pattern of consonant/vowel/consonant

a square
a circle

closed figures, 2D, geometric shapes

Learn to Think

Useful questions to ask yourself when
OBSERVING SIMILARITIES
•

What size, colour, use, material, parts, and shape (SCUMPS) do these
things have?

•

Do these things both have the same size, colour, use, material, parts,
and shape?

10

Organisational Thinking


Lesson Three

Observing Differences
It is also useful to notice how things are different from each other. For example,
a cat and a dog may be similar in that they are both living, both animals, both
have four legs, or both eat meat. However, only a cat can meow or climb
trees. A useful fact next time you are chased by a wild dog! This lesson
checks if you have noticed and stored small differences between things.

Example
Things

only a cat can: • climb trees
• meow
• chase mice

Learn to Think

cat
dog

3 Different Properties

Organisational Thinking

11


Lesson Three
Student worksheet

Learn to Think

Things

3 Different properties

chair
table

chair only

•
•
•

crab
fish

crab only

•
•
•

circle
triangle

circle only

•
•
•

number 4
number 11

number 4 only

•
•
•

newspaper
book

newspaper only

•
•
•

artery
vein

artery only

•
•
•

president
queen

president only

•
•
•

democracy
dictatorship

democracy only

•
•
•

pencil
nail

pencil only

•
•

bird
bee

bird only

•
•
•

Questions to ask myself when OBSERVING
DIFFERENCES
•

12

Organisational Thinking


Lesson Three
Possible answers
Things

3 Different properties
chair meant for sitting on, one per person,
can be padded

crab and fish

crab has claws, a hard shell, swims backwards,
can live out of water

circle and triangle

circle has no straight sides or angles or vertices

numbers 4 and 11

4 is even, not a prime number, only one digit

newspaper and book

newspaper is low cost, daily, many writers, current

news

artery and vein

artery has thick walls, carries blood from heart,
fewer in number

democracy and
dictatorship

leaders elected by people, freedom of speech,
people free to travel from country

president and queen

head of government, elected, can be a man

bird and bee

bird has two legs, blood, bones, lives longer

Learn to Think

chair and table

Organisational Thinking

13

Lesson Four

Categorising
• We categorise or place similar things into groups or categories that we
then store in our brains. These categories are like topic folders.
• In our ‘mental filing cabinet’ we have files labeled ‘red things’, ‘living things’,
‘large wild animals’, and so on.
• By organising things into categories it is easy for us to quickly come up
with examples of a category when we have to.
• The greater the number of things we carefully observe and compare, the
greater the number of examples in the categories stored in our brain.
• The items in this lesson will test the kinds of labels you have used to
categorise things in your mental filing cabinet.

Example
Same because they are all...

Venus
Earth
Saturn

planets

Learn to Think

Things

14

Organisational Thinking

Lesson Four
Student worksheet
The THREE things in the following groups are the SAME in some way. Write in
one or more ways in which they are the same?
Things

Same because they are all...

scissors, magnet, nail
ant, beetle, butterfly
ice, fog, steam
coal, sunlight, uranium
lever, ramp, pulley
cotton, wool, hemp
photograph, page, door
tyre, coin, ball
cork, iceberg, apple
the numbers 7, 11, 13
triangles, squares, polygons
the words walk, catch, climb
plants, animal, insects
Learn to Think

Questions to ask myself when CATEGORISING
•
•
Organisational Thinking

15


Lesson Four
Possible answers
Things

Same because they are all...

scissors, magnet, nail

made of metal or machine made

ant, beetle, butterfly

insects

ice, fog, steam

made of water

coal, sunlight, uranium

used to produce electricity

lever, ramp, pulley

machines to make work easier

cotton, wool, hemp

natural fibres

photograph, page door

rectangular, human made

tyre, coin, ball

round

cork, iceberg, apple

float on water

the numbers 7, 11, 13

odd or prime numbers

triangles, squares, pentagons

polygons, geometric figures

the words walk, catch, climb

verbs

plants, animals, insects

living things

Learn to Think

Questions to ask yourself when CATEGORISING
•

16

Do these things have a similar size, colour, use, material, parts, shape,
or some other property?

Organisational Thinking


Lesson Five

Comparing
• We have looked at similarities (Lesson 2) and differences (Lesson 3). Can
they be combined?
• Yes. It is possible to think about how two things are different and how they
are the same.
• Again, it might help you to think about the size, colour, use, material,
parts and shape (SCUMPS) of the two things you are comparing.

Example
Both sharks and cats
(similarities)

Cats only
(differences)

swim
no legs
have gills

eat meat
have blood
have tails

meow
climb trees
kept as pets

Learn to Think

Sharks only
(differences)

Organisational Thinking

17


Lesson Five
Possible answers
trees only

both/same

insects only

•
•
•

•
•
•

•
•
•

dinosaurs only

both/same

elephants only

•
•
•

•
•
•

•
•
•

snails only

both/same

crabs only

•
•
•

•
•
•

•
•
•

chess only

both/same

football only

•
•
•

•

•
•

•
•
•

moon only

both/same

earth only

•
•
•

•
•
•

•
•
•

number 8 only

both/same

9 only

•
•
•

•
•
•

•
•
•

Learn to Think

Useful questions to ask myself when COMPARING
•
•

18

Organisational Thinking


Lesson Five
Possible answers
trees only

both/same

insects only

made of wood
roots
sap

made of cells
need water, air
can reproduce

head, eyes
move along
lay eggs, fly

dinosaurs only

both/same

elephants only

extinct
reptile
long neck

plant-eaters
big legs
big body

living
mammal

no eggs

snails only

both/same

crabs only

live on land
eat greens
have slime
out at night

shells
slow moving
living
reproduce

live in water and land
eat meat
can nip
claws

chess only

both/same

football only

pieces

individuals
board

players
rules
winner

teams
use ball
field

moon only

both/same

earth only

no life
no water
no air

round
move around sun
reflect sunlight

life
has water
has air

number 8 only

both/same

9 only

even number
divides evenly into 80
not a perfect square

less than 10
divides into 72
has factors

odd number
divides by 3
perfect square

Learn to Think

Useful questions to ask yourself when
COMPARING
• What is a property (SCUMPS) that the first thing has?
• Does the second thing have this property?

Organisational Thinking

19


Lesson Six

Ordering in Terms
of Size and Time
Ordering by Size
•

•

In our brains we can also organise things in an order or sequence. For
example, we order things in terms of such things as their size, speed,
cost, and so on.
Ordering and comparing things is all part of connecting them together
in our memories in an organised way.

Example
Order in decreasing size

forest
branch
tree
twig

forest, tree, branch, twig

Learn to Think

Jumbled things

20

Organisational Thinking


Lesson Six
Student worksheet
The following related things are placed out of order. Rewrite them in order of their
size starting with the largest.
Jumbled things

Order in decreasing size

sentence, paragraph, word

lane, path, highway, road

speech, act, scene, play

artery, blood system, body, heart
planet, universe, moon, sun
reflex angle, acute angle, obtuse angle,
right angle
retina, eye, sensory system, rod

crystal, molecule, atom, nucleus
asian, humanity, race, chinese

nation, community, daughter, family
catholic, priest, culture, religion

Learn to Think

Useful questions to ask myself when ORDERING
IN TERMS OF SIZE
•
•
Organisational Thinking

21


Lesson Six
Possible answers
Jumbled things (unordered)

Order in decreasing size

sentence, paragraph, word

paragraph, sentence, word

lane, path, highway, road

highway, road, lane, path

speech, act, scene, play

play, act, scene, speech

artery, blood system, body, heart

boy, blood system, heart,
artery

planet, universe, moon sun

universe, sun, planet, moon

reflex angle, acute angle, obtuse angle,
right angle

reflex, obtuse, right, acute

retina, eye, sensory system, rod

sensory system, eye, retina,
rod

crystal, molecule, atom, nucleus

crystal, molecule, atom,
nucleus

asian, humanity, race, chinese

humanity, race, asian, chinese

nation, community, daughter, family

nation, community, family,
daughter

catholic, priest, culture, religion

culture, religion, catholic,
priest

Learn to Think

Useful questions to ask when ORDERING in terms
of SIZE
•

Which thing contains all of the other things? (the largest)

•

Which thing is part of ALL of the other things? (the smallest)

•

Which thing is second largest? (contains the other things except the
largest)

22

Organisational Thinking


Lesson Six
Ordering by Time

• As you have just seen, we order things in terms of their size, often
without being told to do this.
• We also order things in time, or when they happen in a sequence.
• The example below serves as an illustration of chronological (time)
order.

Example
Order first to last occurring

cocoon, caterpillar, egg, butterfly

egg, caterpillar, cocoon, butterfly

Learn to Think

Jumbled things

Organisational Thinking

23


Lesson Six
Student worksheet
The following things are not in an order. Rewrite them in order of the time that
they occur in the sequence they belong to. Start with the first thing in the
sequence.
Jumbled things

Order first to last occurring

dusk, midday, dawn, midnight
thunder, flood, lightning, rain
clock, sundial, sun, sand timer
election, nomination, campaign
compose, rehearse, perform
mill, harvest, bake, eat
landscape, design, paint, build
car, space craft, plane, bicycle

Learn to Think

Useful questions to ask myself when ORDERING
IN TERMS OF TIME
•
•

24

Organisational Thinking